Thursday, June 2, 2011

RED SOX LOSE DICE-K FOR THE YEAR, WHO FILLS THE VOID?

Word has it that Daisuke Matsuzaka will undergo Tommy John surgery ending his season. Matsuzaka was less than stellar this year owning a 3-3 record with a 5.30 E.R.A. He has been nothing but frustrating since he got here besides his 18-3 campaign. Too many walks, too many hits, not enough strikeouts, and throwing off-speed pitches behind in the count. These were the ingredients for diaster for the young righty. With Dice-K out for a very long time, how will Terry Francona go about handling the situation?
Tim Wakefield and Alfredo Aceves have been doing an okay job at filling the roles of John Lackey and Dice-K, but will they be able to do this on a regular basis? Aceves was roughed up in his last outing versus the White Sox and Tim Wakefield was strong at the start of the game yesterday, but fell apart toward the later innings. Will Kevin Millwood really get a chance? He got shelled yesterday in Pawtucket so I think that is out of the question. When Felix Dubront is healthy, will he get a shot? Only time will tell because the back end of the rotation (as we all knew) is suspect. In order for this team to compete, the pitching needs to be great from top to bottom.
I personally think Aceves is more valuable in the bullpen, but he wants to be a starter. Tim Wakefield is a different look after seeing 95 MPH from Beckett and Lester. It is a tough decision for Tito, but you can never have enough pitching. Why not go out and make a big splash at the deadline for a starter?

No comments:

Post a Comment